Oct. 20, 2005 – On Thursday, Nov. 3, the University of Utah Department of Art and Art History will present a free public lecture by Utah artist Gary Ernest Smith. The event will be the first in the Carmen Morton Christensen Visiting Artist/Art Historian Lecture Series. Smith’s presentation, from 5 until 6 p.m., will be held in room 158 of the University’s Art Building, located at 375 S. 1530 E.

A neo-realist painter, Smith will present a slide lecture to discuss his body of work titled “Fields,” paintings that are wide-view, large format, tonalist landscapes which employ universal symbols based on nature. The monochromatic colors and impasto paint application describe isolated western landscapes as they appear today. Smith, who has lived in Utah since 1968, will also answer questions.

“Art is a way of addressing humanity,” Smith says. “My works attempt to merge ideas and memories. Good art functions on many levels. There is the surface appeal of subject, and below are layers that may be peeled off, revealing information about the individual artist and the psychology of his era. There’s the subject, but there is also the underlying theme.”

Smith exhibits regularly at the Brooklyn Museum, New York; the New Orleans Contemporary Art Center; and the Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi. His work has been published in Southwest Art, Art Gallery International, Western Art Digest and Art Today. Gary Ernest Smith is represented exclusively by Overland Gallery of Fine Art, Scottsdale, Arizona.

Additional Carmen Morton Christensen Visiting Artist/Art Historian Lectures will be given by graphic designers Antista/Fairclough in January, painter Scott Duce and sculptor Robin Starbuck in February and sculptor Anika Smulovitz in April. Support of the lecture series is provided by the Carmen Morton Christensen Foundation Endowment.

For more information on Smith or future lectures, contact Kim Martinez at 801-581-6513.